Croatia and Slovenia face off today in Varaždin for a massive regional derby. While it’s a friendly, there is a lot riding on this one, especially for Croatia as they make adjustments before the 2026 World Cup kicks off.
This is the final match before the Vatreni travel to North America for the tournament, with Zlatko Dalić hoping his side can regain momentum after recent defeats against Brazil and Belgium in warm-up games. There’s also growing emotion around what could be Luka Modrić’s final World Cup journey with the national team.
Croatia are expected to field a strong side as Dalić finalises his starting lineup before the World Cup opener against England on June 17.
Slovenia have missed out on World Cup qualification and are now focused on rebuilding under manager Boštjan Cesar ahead of the upcoming UEFA Nations League campaign.
Croatia have historically dominated this rivalry, winning 7 of the 12 meetings between the two teams.
Croatia vs. Slovenia Expected Lineups
Croatia
- Goalkeeper: Livaković
- Stanišić, Šutalo, Gvardiol, Sosa
- Modrić, Kovačić, Pašalić
- Perišić, Kramarić, Budimir
Slovenia
- Goalkeeper: Oblak
- Karničnik, Bijol, Drkušić
- Stojanović, Lovrić, Čerin, Balkovec, Mlakar
- Šporar, Vipotnik
Slovenia will be without injured striker Benjamin Šeško, while Timi Max Elšnik and Jon Gorenc Stankovič were also left out of the squad.
How to Watch Croatia vs Slovenia (TV & Streaming)
Kick-off is at 8:45 p.m. local time in Croatia, which is 7:45 BST in the United Kingdom and 2:45 ET / 11:45 a.m. PT in the United States.
- Croatia: Nova TV
- Slovenia: Sportklub Slovenia
- United Kingdom: Amazon Prime Video PPV
- United States: FS2, FOX Sports App, fuboTV
- MENA Region: beIN Sports English, beIN Sports Arabia 2 HD, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, TOD
- Serbia / Balkans Region: Arena Sport
- Germany / Austria / Switzerland: DAZN
- Canada: fuboTV Canada